One woman’s death seems so assured that magazines have already released “In Loving Memory” tributes. The other’s death is less certain, but her predicament may lead her loved ones to make an extremely difficult decision.

One is very young; the other one is a few years older, but still at the prime of her life and her career. One climbed to stardom from nothing, the other is part of British acting royalty.

Both are mothers to two young sons whose lives are likely to be shattered.

And both stories have captured the media’s attention unlike any in recent memory. Despite her pedigree, Natasha Richardson is probably not the first actress on the edge of people’s minds, but news of her possible death yesterday sent me and others scrambling over Google News for details on her condition. It appears a few outlets had jumped the gun, but the prognosis truly looks pretty grave for her. The Daily Mail has photos of Natasha’s mother Vanessa Redgrave, her aunt Lynn Redgrave, and Natasha’s two sons scrambling to the hospital in NYC, reportedly to say their last goodbyes. BBC NEWS quotes a spokesperson who says the family is, quite reasonably, “very distressed.”

The New York Daily News quotes sources saying Natasha has been on life support since Tuesday morning, and People quotes a “family friend” who says, “There is no chance. It is a fact that her heart is beating but she is brain dead.”

Doctors are speculating that Richardson suffered a blood clot, according to The Daily Telegraph. One doctor told FOXNews.com she may have experienced “‘talk and die’ syndrome,” which “implies that someone hits their head and they are seemingly OK initially. But then they get a rapid collection of blood – usually called epidural hemorrhage – and that means bleeding between the skull and the brain.”

Just to show that tragedy doesn’t immunize one to stupidity, The Daily Mail manages to blame Natasha’s accident on the gays, claiming she was “struck down by the eternal curse of the Redgraves” and that “scandal and illness have plagued the family since Sir Michael [Natasha’s grandpa] was revealed as bisexual.”

According to TV Week, NBC will adapt the BBC’s panel show, Have I Got News for You. “News features two teams of celebrities and newsmakers humorously trying to answer questions about current events and politics. The show makes heavy use of film and TV clips, as well as tabloid headlines, and features participants riffing on the week’s events.” Naturally, this is partially the brainchild of Paul Telegdy, who once headed up BBC Worldwide’s Content and Production department.

Interesting: a TV ad for the Wanted DVD has been banned from UK airwaves because it makes guns look “sexy and glamorous.”(BBC)